Mechanism for grading ground coffee.



110.835,05?. l `PA'ITDITED Nov. 6, 19.06.

, l P. DONNER. MEGHANISM PoR GRADING GROUND COFFEE.

' l -A1` PLI0MJI0N FILED 11:13.27. -190e.

' z SHEETS-SHEET z.

1H: Nonna Pzrxu co., wAsunmwN. n. c.

-imroved mechanism for sfmrating ground CO are practically of thevsame dimension-con- -so'mewhat slowly-revolving shaft up onA which -a helix of wire is-so mounted that itfconsti- -tically the same A`diameter fastened -to the re1- -the meshes of which are of such size that the UNITED sTATEs PATENT yoEEioE.

FRANK coNNER', or' Los Neasden.

To 'all whom it may concern:-

Be-it'known that I, FRANK (DONNER, of the city of Los Angeles, in` the county -of Los Angeles, in the State of California, have inventedl certain. Mechanism for Grading GroundJCoHee, which may also be used for analogous grading urp'oses, of which the following is a full, c ear, and lexactd'escripltion or specification, reference being had to the annexed f drawings, and f to thel letters marked thereon. Y

My said invention, which relates to new or ee into its "different gra es of size-that is tosay, separating it into collections'of particles wherein the particles in'eac'h-colle'ction sists .in respect of' itsessential featureof a tutes in its exterior 'form a cylindrically-s'urfaced body. Any desired distance r1s zarranged between -eachturnof the wire helix, and to carry `it upon the revolving-shaft, as well-asto retain itin suflieient tension to rotate with the shaft and to be of constant-diameter throughout, each end of the Wire helix -is fastened vinto af'circular 'carrier Aof pracvolvin'g'shaft, sofasto revolve withfsaidshaft. This revolving-helix of-wire is contained withina circular'casing inthe upper part of which a hopper is situated, vwhereinto the ground coffee or analogous material to be graded is placed, and in the lower part of this hopper a sliding gage-valve or door is situated, which having its position regulated b an attendant in operating the machine a justs the dimensio'n of the opening through which the coffee passesinto'one end of the cylindrical casing, lwherein the aforesaid revolving wire helix operates.' The greater part of the bottom of the cylindrical casing in which the wire helix operates is formed ofvwire-cloth coarser parts of the ground coffee or analogous material will not pass through them, but are carried slowly forward toward 'the end of the wire sieve, While those portions of the coffee or other materials which are of 'the size capable of passing through the wire sieve fall into a hopper beneath the sieve of the casing, while the coarser portions of the ground coffee or analogous material are discharged by the rotation of the helical wire vinto -av hopper at the other end ofthe cylin-i ySpecification of Letters Patent. I

Applicationfuea rebmr'y 27, 190s. seriale. sosaafs.`

ANGELES, 'oALiFo'RNiA.y

`Pa-.tenista Nov.- e, l1906.'

helical wire `is contained, as hereinhe'fogr'eda/ scribed, andin passing through-"this casing -theaction-'of the 'rotating helical LW'ire'- therein .gradually -rnoving vforward 'the ground vcoee over a screen Vof -in'er mesh' se 'arat'esy or 'grades it, -so "that the 'finer artic e'sthereof pass into -rthe hopper 'beldw t 'e `screen of this second separating-casing, 4and the-coarser yportions thereof, which ldo not pass through this'sc'reen of linerfmesh, drop -intoa hopper rial of iinerfgrade than that 'which Ehas Jo'een separated yby the taction of the v"revolving helical -wire 'in the first Itrough or casing. This fsecond grade of coffee or analogous tmaev terial is removable from I4the 'hopper in which itis caught by-'a door, ordrawer ortheequi'va- -lent of either of these, situated at-t'hebottom` of the hopper-containing this second grade of coffee or analogous material. l which ha's passed through the screen of finer meshin the'second casing passes down 'from its hopper into a hopper forming `part Lof a third casing with a similar rotating wire helix at the interior thereof, the 4finer portion of which passes through a screen of still finer mesh'in 'the ylower part of this third casing, while any coffee or analogous material 'which does not pass through this third Aand finestmeshed screen falls into-'anotherh'opperat the end of this casing, from which it lis collected.

Although I have herein 'described three ro'- tating wirey helices, three 'troughs wherein such helices rotate, three screens havin meshes of graduallyincreasing iineness, and

state three different-sizes of coee or analogous material, it is to be understood that my the aforesaid devices used-in combination in my invention and that my invention -isvco'mplete according toy the character vof the ground material for the separation or grading of which it is to be used either 'as one ofthe aforesaid. devioesconsistingof a Lhepper land The coffee IOO three hoppers for receiving inthe graded l IOS invention is not limited to three of each of e revolving wire helix and bottom and partly consisting of a screen mesh and hopper and partly'consisting of a portion not having any mesh, but having a hopper into which the coarser part .of the ground material is collected.

Upon the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a coffee-grading machine constructed with three graders, each consisting of la circular hollow casing, a rotating wire helix within said casing and hopper p .above and at one end of said casing, a mesh .gether by the nuts B thereon.

Consisting o f a portion of the bottom of said casing beneath the. said hopper, the other portion of said casing not having a bottom, but having a hopper whereinto the coarserground material falls and is collected. Fig. 2 4,is an end elevation of the said machine at right angles to Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a plan of t e top of the framing of Figs. l and 2 without the top of the casing thereon and showing the rotating helical wire mounted upon its shaft Within the lower part of said cylindrical casing, the wire screen below the said helical wire, and the open space between the end of the Wire `screen `and the other end of the casing into which the coarser coffee or analogous material falls into the hopper below that space. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the lower part of the said casing, showing the helical wire in elevation, showing also a portion of the screen through the meshes of which the ground material falls, and the remaining portion of the casing having no bottom through which the ground material falls into the hopper below. Fig. 6 is van end elevation of one of the end disks by which the helical wire is carried. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of one of the hoppers, showing the drawer in the bottom of the said hopper in section provided with a knob or handle for opening or closing the same'.

Upon the annexed drawings the parts marked A constitute the framing of the machine. The framing is shown on the drawings as being constructed of timber and held together by bolts as being a convenient way of constructing the framing; but it is to be understood that instead of using a wooden framing I may use a framing made of caste iron. The bolts B are those by which the several parts of the framing, both the uprights and cross-bars, are rigidly held to- In the upper part of the machine, as shown at Figs. l, 2, and 3, the hopper C is carried. This hopper rests in a hopper-carrier C/, forming part of the casing D, `containing the upper rotating wire helix. The portion of the casing D shown broken out at the rightehand end thereof and beneath the hopper C shows not only the conce or ground material passing into the upper casing D, but it shows that a considerable space or depth of the helix is surrounded by the ground coffee as it falls from the hopper C into the casing D. Unlike the blade of an ordinary screw-creeper which extends between the shaft upon which it is carried to the interior of the casing in which it rotates the helical carrier in the device constituting my invention consists only of the width or diameter of the wire of which it is made, which is held rigidly in place by its two ends being fastened in the disks F F by the ends of the wire being secured in the holes F', Fig. 6, one in each disk, and by the exterior of the wire helix bearing with sufficient operating closeness against the interior of the casing D and screen constituting a portion of Ithe lower part of said casing. By means of this construction of the helix of wire, preferably round wire, that portion only of the ground material which immediately is in contact with said wire over the sieve G in the bottom of the casing is moved horizontally at a time, while that portion which is too large or coarse in the size of its particles, preventing 4it from passing through the sieve G, falls over the end of the sieve into the hopper J. As the coffee is moved forward and some of it is separated by falling through the sieve G those portions of the coiee or other ground material by so falling gradually sink downward and become operative by the wire helix in the second casing I. As the ground material which passes through the sieve G of the first casing D is caught in the hopper I-I it further descends from the hopper II into the second casing I, containing the second wire helix, wherein it is operated upon in a similar manner as that which has already been herein described with reference to the operation which takes place within the first casing D, so that the nner portions, which pass through the mesh in the lower part of the second casing I, fall into the hopper J beneath vthe Wire sieve of the casing I, and the coarser portions of the ground material, which do not pass into the hopper J fall over at the end of the sieve of the second casing I into the hopper K, wherein it is contained until removed, as hereinafter described. The ground coffee or other material which has fallen into the hopper J then passes into the third cylindrical casing M, wherein it is similarly operated upon by the rotating wire helix therein, the finest portions of the coffee or other ground material fallinor through the still finer sieve of the bottom of this third casing M and collected therein, while the coarser portions separated from the finer portion falls into the hopper N and is collected therein.

By the action of the machine, as hereinbefore described and shown upon the annexed drawings, three dierent grades of coffee or other material which has been ground are collected in the hoppers J, K, and N and the finest portion of the dust is collected in the hopper O. The lower part of each hopper J ,i

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K, and N is provided with a door or drawer P P P2, such a drawer P being shown at the enlarged detail view, Fig. 7, at the bottom of the hopper K and providedl with a knob V for enabling the drawer to be opened and closed by the attendant, which on being opened or withdrawn and a separate receptacle being pllaced below the discharge the opening at t e bottom of each hopper J, K, and N enables the coffee to be drawn out of the machine in three different grades, while the dust or exceedingly fine material which has been finally separated from the coffee is collected by opening the door or drawer P3 in the bottom of the hopper O. l

The wire helix moves along the screen, only the ground material lying immediately thereon, to the depth or diameter of the wire constituting the helix. The ground material lying above this depth is not moved over the screen until it by its vertical movement downward from the hopper by gravity reaches the screen.

The .machine constituting my invention is driven from any convenient prime mover or revolving shaft by an endless driving-belt passing over the pulley Q on the shaft E. At the other end of the shaft E there is another pulley Q,`over which the belt'Q2 passes and actuates another pulley R upon one end of the driving-shaft R. At the other end of the shaft R there is another driving-pulley R2, over which the Abelt R3 passes and drives the pulley S on the third driving-shaft S, so that all three of the rotating shafts E, R, and S, together with the wire helix Von each shaft, is

. rotated within each of the casings D, I, and M.

If required, as may sometimes be necessary, that the shafts E, R, and S and the wire helices carried thereby should be driven at different rates of rotation, then the diameters of the pulleys Q Q, R R2, and S may be varied accordingly.

The sliding door T for regulating the quantity of coffee or other ground material passing into the first casing and rotating wire helix consists simply of a flat plate fitted in slides wherein it`is moved byhand into any position required to give the necessary area.

The upper half of each of the casings D, I, and M is made of light thin metal, such as galvanized iron, and has a flange extending along each of its straight sides. A suflicient number of holes is formed in each of these straight sides for a screwed stud fixed in the framing of the machine topass up through. Upon these studs the winged nuts U are screwed and hold the upper half of the casing over, so as to inclose the rotating wire helices by screwing off the nuts U. The upper half of the casing may be removed and the whole of the interior of the casing and helices exposed to view for cleaning, for repairs, or' for any other purpose.

Having now described the nature of my said invention, what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claimv as the invention to be secured to me by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a machine for grading ground or pulverized substances such as coffee, the combination of the revolving wire helix carried upon a revolving shaft and contained within a casing, at one end of the upper part of which casing is a hopper having an adjustable. opening for admitting the ground material into the casing within which the revolving wire helix is contained, said casing having a screen beneath the hopper and beneath the nation of the revolving wire helix carriedv upon a revolving shaft and contained within a casing, at `one end of the upperpart of which casing is a hopper having an adjustable opening for admltting the ground material into the casing within which the revolving wire helix is contained, said casing having a screen beneath the hopper and beneath the revolving wire helix, the screen, the remain-` der of the bottom of the casing being imperforate and opening into a second hopper, the drawer in the bottom of the second hopper,

the second hopper, the second casing whereinto the second hopper discharges, the screen in the bottom of the second casing, the second revolving helix within thesecond casing, the third hopper, the drawer in the bottom of the third hopper, the third revolving helix within the third hopper, the screen in the bottom of the third hopper, the opening into a fourth hopper, the fourth hopper, the drawer in the bottom of the fourth hop er, all operating substantially as hereinbe ore described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at the city of Los Angeles aforesaid, in the presence of two subscribing p witnesses.

FRANK CONNER. [L. s.]

` Witnesses: l i

ST. JOHN DAY, J. D. CoRY.

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